Democratic candidate for governor Maggie Hassan received the endorsement of the powerful pro-choice, pro-women organization EMILY’s List. She received the endorsement despite the fact that Hassan’s primary opponent is also a pro-choice woman.

Any pro-choice candidate would welcome an EMILY’S List endorsement and the hundreds of thousands of dollars the endorsement typically comes with from its national network of donors. Though, in the New Hampshire Democratic race for governor, this endorsement probably has an added weight.

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First, there is a rule about raising money locally: money doesn’t grow on trees, and political money doesn’t come from New Hampshire. When it comes to campaign fundraising for major offices, Granite State donors are cheap. Most money comes from out of state, and a candidate that doesn’t recognize that and lacks a plan to raise that money typically loses.

Neither Hassan nor her Democratic opponent Jackie Cilley will file fundraising paperwork until August. Until then, it is hard to tell how fundraising is going for either one. Whatever the money gap is between Hassan, who is aggressively hiring staff, and Cilley, who isn’t, it is about to get a lot bigger. Unlike in the money saturated Second Congressional District race, this money is badly needed to just do the bare minimum.

In 1996, Jeanne Shaheen’s campaign widely credited EMILY’s List for giving them the money they needed to win her first major contest. Looking back later on, Hassan’s campaign might say the same thing.

This endorsement for Hassan may actually say more about Cilley. The former State Senator had a great launch to her campaign in February, but since then, she hasn’t done a lot to instill confidence that she is the upstart of the campaign. Hassan has won all labor endorsements, and she has picked off endorsements from liberal activists that should have been in Cilley’s camp. And Cilley has done little to respond.

Typically, EMILY’s List doesn’t get involved a race with two pro-choice women, but it should mean something that they did this time.

Yes, Hassan’s campaign manager did work at EMILY’s List prior to the campaign. That had to have helped snag the endorsement, but either way the impact of this endorsement could make today one of the most significant days in the entire campaign.